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Identify child abuse in the community

Guidance for identifying child abuse by someone in the community.

Schools

As soon as you form a reasonable belief that a student has been or, is at risk of being abused by someone in the community, you must act.

4 CRITICAL ACTIONS

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

The steps you take depend on the source of abuse.

If you selected the wrong source, go to determine the source.

On this page

Content warning: This page includes descriptions of abuse and may be distressing to read. Information on how to access support for any issues it may raise for you is available at wellbeing support for school staff.

As a school staff member, you may be the only adult in a position to identify child abuse in the community.

Child abuse in the community can take many forms:

There are other ways that a child can experience abuse, including crimes related to:

Multiple types of abuse can occur at the same time.

See types of child abuse and what to look for.

A student can encounter many different adults in the community who could be a source of abuse. These include:

How to identify abuse

You can identify abuse in the community in many ways. You can:

Often, observing physical or behavioural signs may be the only indication that a child is being abused. It is critical that you can recognise these signs. There are signs to look out for in both students who are victim to abuse and the people who are committing abuse.

See types of child abuse and what to look for.

If you form a reasonable belief of child abuse by someone in the community, continue the 4 Critical Actions. Start by making a report to Victoria Police, if you believe a crime against a child has been committed.

Other actions you can take

You only need to collect enough information to form a reasonable belief or inform your next steps. Collect information in a safe, reasonable and appropriate way.

For example, do not do anything that increases the risk to the student’s safety or wellbeing, and do not do anything that may compromise a police investigation.

You can use this information to:

Open all

Engage school staff with information sharing responsibilities to request information from other ISEs.

ISEs include services that work with children, young people, and families, such as:

Engage school staff who are Child Link Users to access Child Link to review a child’s participation in key early childhood and education services, if you are not already aware of services the child is connected with, as well as key family relationships and if the child or their sibling has a past or current child protection order. This helps you recognise which ISEs are best to contact.

To share information safely and appropriately, follow the guidance at Staff who use CISS and FVISS.

To access and use Child Link safely and appropriately, follow the guidance at Child Link

Next steps

If you have not identified abuse

You’ve completed the 4 Critical Actions for now.

Keep monitoring for changes. You can return at any time if you learn new information.

Continue the 4 Critical Actions

If you identify abuse by someone in the community, continue to report.

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

To identify abuse from a different source, see:

Updated 25 March 2026

At all times

Throughout the 4 Critical Actions, you must:

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